Phonetically, my name is Nee-tha Put-wa-ri. It means good or sweet. The “th” sound is a lilting and reminds me of my home.
However, since first grade, I changed my public name. When a girl asked me what my name was and couldn’t pronounce the soft “th” in my name, I instantly changed it. Thus, “Nee-da” was born.
I originally changed the pronunciation of my name to fit in. My elementary school was predominantly white, and I already stuck out.
Ironically enough, my parents carefully chose each of their children’s names so they would be easy to pronounce in the U.S.
In first grade, I butchered that goal, and Needa has been a persona that has followed me since.
And while I continually try to change it back to what it should be, I am always met with the blank stares and confusions that cause me to revert back to being the shy first grader just trying to please.
This is more than just a story about my name, though. It’s a story about countless immigrants who were told their names were too foreign to fit in. When many eastern and southern Europeans came to the U.S. in the 20th century, many of them Americanized their names.
It didn’t matter that their names had years of history. They were too hard to pronounce by American standards.
While the idea is bad, what’s worse it the fact that this trend carries over into our schools and our personal relationships.
Though my name is easy, every substitute teacher would pause over it, and most people asked if they could call me a nickname.
That’s not a bad thing, and I don’t mind simplifying my name for kids.
However, I think that most people college-aged or older should at least attempt to correctly pronounce foreign names, not only because it creates familiarity for students, but also because it reaffirms their self-esteem.
The National Association for Bilingual Education found that when a student’s name was pronounced incorrectly, it was almost as though a part of that student’s identity was erased.
By doing this, we tell students that parts of their culture aren’t as important because they just don’t fit in well with American culture.
Not calling students by their correct names in school inadvertently creates a system in which students feel they need to hide parts of themselves.
Truthfully, in other countries, American names are mispronounced and considered odd, and we still hope they can learn to say them correctly.
By learning how to pronounce names correctly, whatever their origin may be, we are all reaffirming the idea that every part of this person is worth something.
My name is Neeta Patwari. The “t” is a “th”, and the first “a” in my last name is pronounced as a “u”.
It means good, sweet or kind. It connects me to my Indian roots and my family. And I would really love it if you would pronounce it correctly.
@npatwari@indiana.edu
